The Game Business Show

In this bonus edition of The Game Business Show, Chris talks to Balatro publisher PlayStack about how the hit poker game has transformed the company, why it's not looking for a 100% hit rate, and what it expects from its new owners. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

We speak to Joe Brammer, CEO of Bulkhead, which has just launched the smash hit 100-player first person tactical shooter Wardogs. Just nine months ago, the studio was under threat from going under after Tencent no-longer wanted the team. Now, it’s had one of the surprise hits of the year, with two million games sold in Early Access after just one weekend. In this interview, Brammer discusses the shock success of the game, the impact on the team, the reality of crunch within the studio, his attempt to run his own video game showcase, and how he’s looking to scale-up to handle the demand for Wardogs. Enjoy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

This week, Chris looks at the potential of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in the month GTA 6 launches, Ubisoft talks about its Player Council, Geoff launches a foundation, and Kojima gets closer to Xbox. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

We speak with Maverick Games bosses Harinder Sangha and Mike Brown about being dropped by Amazon, the "offensive" offers it received from other publishers, the state of the racing genre, taking on Forza, and its dream of becoming the greatest game developer in the world. It’s a good one! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today's edition, Chris shares the latest data from the GTA 6 Netflix reveal, including its impact on PS5 and Xbox Series S and X. Transcription by ESO. Translation byMeanwhile, Newzoo consultant Ronan Patrick comes on to discuss GTA 6, the fate of consoles, the rise of sequels, friendslop and more. Plus the latest stats from Gamescom! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

We speak to CD Projekt Red joint CEO Michal Nowakowski about the switch to making multiple games, returning to The Witcher 3, why it released Cyberpunk 2077 too early, the fate of video game consoles, TV adaptations, The Witcher 4 and a whole lot more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

It’s our bumper Gamescom edition of The Game Business Show. In this edition, Patrice Désilets, the creator of Assassin’s Creed, speaks to us from Gamescom about the newly launched 1666: Amsterdam. He talks returning to Ancestors, and the reality that he may only have a few games left to make. We also chat with Raccoon Logic, specifically game veterans Alex Hutchinson (also a former Assassin’s Creed creative director) and Reid Schneider. We talk about their new hockey game Breakaway Hockey League, which was here in Cologne, and why they’ve had to abandon the old ways and embrace a new world. Finally, we offer a sneak peek at next week’s big interview featuring CD Projekt joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski . Oh, and we’ve all the big news from Gamescom. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today’s bumper edition of The Game Business Show, we chat to Unity CEO Matthew Bromberg about his '100% optimistic' view on the future of the video game industry. He also chats about the tech firm's turnaround, his approach to leadership, the AI ‘threat’, the future of consoles, Netflix, Unity’s friendship with Epic, the rise of China and Korea, and a whole lot more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today's edition of The Game Business Show, Chris is joined by Piers Harding-Rolls. The two discuss the potential impact of $1,000 game consoles (should they happen). The two also dive into the publishers that need to prepare fans for the moment PlayStation stops disc production in January 2028. (Check out our newsletter at TheGameBusiness.com that shows the types of games and companies most likely to be impacted by this decision).Chris is then joined by Felix Falk, the head of the german trade association and organizer of Gamescom. Felix talks about next week's event in Cologne, alongside the political angle for 2026. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

The Game Business' Christopher Dring chats with legendary immersive sim game maker Harvey Smith (Dishonored/Deus Ex) and executive producer Ben Horne (NBA/Redfall) to discuss their new studio Black Pony Immersive. The three discuss whether the 'immersive sim' is dead, lessons from Redfall, building a new studio in 2026, being positive in the face of a continued misery and a whole lot more This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this week's The Game Business Show, Chris is joined by policy expert Dr Celia Pontin to discuss Stop Killing Games, the consumer movement that wants to stop online video games being discontinued. Why does the campaign keep losing? Why is the industry so intent on fighting back against it? Chris and Celia dive into the complications around this growing issue. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

This week we speak to Sumo Digital Co-CEOs Andy Stewart and Gary Dunn. One of the biggest UK game studios, Sumo was behind huge hits including three Sonic racing games, two Sackboy titles, Crackdown 3 and more. But following a $1.3 billion acquisition from Tencent in 2021, the firm has fallen away, cutting staff and selling off its publishing business. And it's been six years since the BAFTA winning PlayStation game Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Chris catches up with the studio to talk about the challenges facing work-for-hire developers, the importance of its India team, trying to resurrect classic franchises, AI, tax relief, working on full games on a smaller budget and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

This week, we are going through the big games still to launch this year, using data (check out thegamebusiness.com to see the full charts). Outside of GTA (and the sports games), what will be the biggest video game of the year? To discuss this, I am joined by my old friend James Batchelor, the former editor of GamesIndustry.biz and current communications lead at Digital Bandidos. Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

This week, we are joined by Digital Extremes president Sheldon Carter, and we discuss the massive growth of Warframe, the death of Destiny, the firm's 'trust-based development philosophy', it's careful approach to making Soulframe and much, much more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

Amazon's game streaming platform Luna is coming to the Prime Video App, and Chris speaks with Amazon's games boss Jeffrey Gattis to chat about it, plus his views on Netflix's Unhinged, the future of James Bond games, the games he's signing (and not signing), reaching an audience that might not exist... and potentially being an alternative to $1,000 consoles. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

Returning to The Game Business Show is Jagex CEO Jon Bellamy. Chris visits the RuneScape developer to hear about its ambitious plans to topple World of Warcraft, the phenomenon that is Old School RuneScape, the 'pain' of trying to save standard RuneScape, coming to consoles for the first time, and finding fans in China. It's a fun chat! Enjoy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this week's edition of The Game Business Show, we are joined by EA's in-game advertising boss Alex Dao to discuss putting ads within PC and console games. Dao discusses the opportunity, how to win over marketing people, what the new EA Advertising platform is all about, and making sure you 'do it right'. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In today's The Game Business, we are joined by Netflix's Sean Krankel, who runs Night School Studio and is the general manager of Netflix's narrative video games. Krankel has just launched Unhinged, a 30-minute horror game that is streamed via Netflix and stars Sadie Sink (Stranger Things), Zoë Kravitz (The Batman) and Troy Baker (Indiana Jones). It's a game controlled by your mobile phone, where you'll direct the main character and also receive calls from the supporting cast. It's been a breakout hit, and we chat to Sean about building games for people who might not own a console or gaming PC, what might come next, and what the goal is for Netflix. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

In this edition of The Game Business Show, we discuss the state of the video game media with Alex Donaldson, the owner of RPG Site and former editor of Eurogamer. Alex is just launching a brand new games website called Respec, which is designed to be a more playful consumer publication. We also speak with Atari’s new European boss Andreas Deptolla about the company’s plans, including its goal of turning MobyGames into the ‘IMDB of video games’. Plus, of course, we discuss the latest cuts at Xbox. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe

Today, we speak to Saber Interactive Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits about building AAA games smartly, and why the firm is all-in on licensed games. We also discuss the developer's huge slate, which includes games based on John Wick, Jurassic Park, Hitman, Turok, Stuntman, Star Wars and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegamebusiness.com/subscribe